Selina Cook (also Roberts) is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Tempany Deckert.
Deckert revealed that Selina was supposed to be a clichéd bimbo, so she decided to introduce biker boots to the wardrobe department.
Selina later decides to clean up her act and she begins dating Jack Wilson, who she believes is her soul mate.
[1] She was asked to return the following day to begin filming and Deckert had to leave her school in order to join the show.
[2] In mid-1997, speculation grew around Deckert and whether she had quit the serial, though the Home and Away publicity department did not confirm nor deny her departure.
[5] Deckert told Inside Soap that the reason for Selina's introduction was her crush on teacher Luke Cunningham (John Adam).
[5] Selina decides to clean up her act following the fiasco with Luke and she turns out to be a "tart with a heart who's simply misunderstood.
In fact, she finds herself falling in love, especially when she discovers Jack doesn't have any parents - she warms to him and sees him as a real soul mate.
Victoria Ross of Inside Soap opined that Selina had a "passion for dodgy fashion" and was not likely to blend into the background.
[5] Deckert said her character was not supposed to be a "real grunge chick" and explained that Selina was going to be a clichéd bimbo.
[5] Deckert told The Sun-Herald that some viewers were shocked at her real appearance as they thought Selina looked "like such a dog" in the show.
[8] Ammann fell ill in real life so producers forced Deckert to have a blood test following kissing scenes.
Selina miscarries in the school corridor and Deckert said it was a surprising element, but disliked having twenty extras watching her perform.
While sharing a kiss at the dance, they accidentally end up tipping paint over principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) and his date Irene.
Irene's son Damian arrives for Shane Parrish (Dieter Brummer) and Angel Brooks' (Melissa George) wedding and Selina is attracted to him.
Irene reconciles with her estranged husband, Murdoch (Tom Richards), he begins sexually harassing Selina.
Selina has a near-death experience when she is stung in the throat by a bee and has strange visions, including her baby crying and a prophetic projection of Steven and Brian "Dodge" Forbes (Kelly Dingwall) fighting and falling over a cliff ledge.
When Jeremy finds out about her and Steven, he tries to blackmail her into going out with him and when Selina rejects him he makes a suicide attempt by hanging himself in the school toilet.
Selina begins dating former criminal Jesse McGregor (Ben Unwin) and he agrees to change his ways.
Irene's grandson, Paul is kidnapped, so Selina and Joey Rainbow (Alex O'Han) both visit Saul's commune to find out the truth.
Selina contracts malaria whilst in Africa and is brought Ironbridge by Geoffrey Burns (Ben Price) to convalesce.
"[7] Dave Lanning writing for The People questioned whether Australia had child welfare when "slinky Selina" found a baby on the beach and kept it.
"[10] The Newcastle Herald included the 1998 episode of Home and Away, in which Selina and Steven returned in their "TV Highlights" feature.
[16] Simon Hughes writing for The Age said the serial was like a "pedophile's paradise" and that Selina's storyline with Murdoch highlighted this.
He concluded that Home and Away's make-up department made her look like a "Puerto Rican whore in a school dress.
"[17] In Dr. Glyn Davis and Kay Dickinson's book Teen TV: genre, consumption, identity, they said teenage oriented television in the 1990s portrayed many characters appearing to snub university, using Selina as one of their examples.